Inflection Points in shaving

Any suggestions on where to order the Derbies from? Never mind I just ordered from Amazon.
 
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The Derby seems to be a very consistent blade and I'm thinking of making a large order too.

Today I got a Merkur travel razor in a leather pouch from an on-line dealer.It's a FANTASTIC small razor and brilliantly clever in design,it all packs up into a tiny travel pouch and appeals to the ultra lite traveller in me:D I put a Feather blade in it,one that I had already used once before in the big Merkur 38c and got possibly the best shave I have ever had:thumbup:

This Merkur Travel razor won't be for everybody(what is in DE shaving??That's the appeal) but I have small palms and long fingers which seem to suit this razor,no cuts,no drag or sore skin an excellent shave with real control and VERY precise indeed despite having a challenging and aggressive beard. The Weishi razor I have can't come anywhere near this Merkur for smoothness and quality of shave,so it's going to be relegated to emergency only use from now on. I'm going to be interested to see how the Merkur Traveller performs with other blades,but with the Feather it seems exemplary, Merkur's own blades don't impress me that much but their razors most certainly DO.
 
I also want to buy a hundered-pack of Derby blades ASAP. While I'm not finished with my blade evaluations, I do know that Derby blades are very good and I would certainly use them.
 
The Derbies came today. They are packaged pretty wierd every 5 blades are in a little plastic box and wrapped in plasticNot as nice of a blade holder as the metel case that the Walmart blades come in but for bulk I didn't think I'd get any kind of holder. I'm going to miss that used blade holder on the Walmart blade package. Going to try the Derby this weekend.
 
The Derby package has a little door on one end. Flip it down to find the storage for old blades.
 
LOL your right, I found it. I just wish I hadn't broke the door off trying to open it. :)
 
Nice to know about that 'trap-door' on the Derby box:thumbup:

Out of ignorance&despair..I've been stuffing the used ones into a Feather box that has the conventional slit:foot:

Just got a tube of Proraso (Italian)shaving cream,heard a lot of positive things about it but not at all sure about that smell.....something like disinfectant for urinals:eek: I don't understand much Italian but I can get something from knowing French&bit of Latin, I suspect that it's not fro brush use.The ingredients appear to have glycerine. Doesn't this mean that it's that BRUSHLESS cream and that glycerine can harm bristle/badger by gumming them up?? Anybody have experience here? Thanks W.
 
Willgoy,
That smell is eucalyptus, it'll grow on you , especially considering how well proraso shaves. As for the brush have at it the stuff lathers like crazy. If you haven't guessed it's one of my favorites.CO Bigelow shave cream by Bath and Body is made by Proraso. Omega cream is pretty much the same thing also but cheaper, I suspect it also made by Proraso as it shaves pretty similiar, smells the same and is made in Italy.
 
Proraso does shave very well, I concede that but it smells hideous in my view,more like Proarso:barf: But, I will keep with it as it does work well.

Becoming interested in Lavender creams/soaps I like the smell of the real herb in summer but wonder if it might be a bit old-biddy style as a shaving agent...Can anybody recommend certain brands? TOBS produces very good stuff so I'm inclined to try that first.
 
I haven't tried any lavender shaving products but have been using Yardleys of London lavender bath soap and I like it, it thought it would be old biddyish too as half the stuff my grandmother used was lavender scented but it surprised me. As for TOBS I don't think you can go to far with any of their scents.
 
Alright only one shave with the Derby blade. First impression is there really isn't any noticeable performance difference from the other blades I’ve used. So a big thumbs up for the Derby blades as they are much cheaper than the locally gotten blades. Could the difference between blades be greatly over blown on the web?
 
"Could the difference between blades be greatly over blown on the web? "

Yes and no, you can get a shave with just about any blade. Now getting a good to great shave takes experimenting and finding what works best for you. Some people get great results with the much maligned wal-mart personnas, or shave everyday sans issues with feathers. While others will get nicks and weepers with blades that others report to be ultra-mild. Pretty much comes down to the fact that every face is different.
 
True, your beard must be a key factor,but, I also think the razor itself plays a role. Derbies seem to have a lot of supporters though and I've been pleased with them too.Feather works superbly in the travelling Merkur but not nearly so well in the big 38c for example. Anybody have experience of Bic blades at all? Seen them on offer on the Net,believe they are Turkish made.
 
I wet shave, but I don't use a DE I use a straight. It's a little longer to do than using a cartridge, but not by much and the shave is far superior. I don't mind the extra time as it is part of my morning ritual. Nothing wakes you up and gives you focus as well as a razor sharp blade against your throat. :eek:

I agree that wet shaving doesn't have to be expensive. My razor, at $60, was the most expensive part of my kit, but everything else was relatively cheap. My HandAmerican strop only cost $30 and it should last forever. My Proraso brush I got at Target for $13 (I really do need to get me a badger brush one of these days though). And I get my sandalwood soap at Crabtree and Evelyn for $8 a cake. It lasts me 4-5 months per cake. I know people who spend more than that on their Gillette cartridges in a year.

I have to admit that I do still use a Sensor Excel II though. To get as close as I want I shave both with and against the grain. I use a straight razor fine for most of my face, with the exception of my mustache area. I just can't use a straight razor there, I've tried several times and I've cut myself in each instance. So I use an Excel II for the job. It's not optimal, but at least each cartridge lasts three months or so.
 
About 40 yrs ago when I was a teenager I had horrible acne and when I started to shave (Norelco electric) it got worse, much worse. A dermatologist told me to scrap the Norelco and start wet shaving with a brush as the bristles would help clean my skin rather than irritating it.

He was right. Been wet shaving ever since and today my kit consists of
a Muhle-Pincel silvertip badger brush, Taylor of Old Bond Street sandalwood shave cream and a power Fusion. I can't over emphasize the combination of a really good brush and the shave cream--works much better than the Walgreen's stuff. The cream's expensive @ 13 bucks a jar but lasts 5-6 months once you learn how little it takes for a really superior lather.
 
TOBS shaving creams really do work well,thick and protective lather. Personally, I dont like the Sandalwood very much,smell of shaving cream is very dependent on the acid of your skin.I find the Eton College very agreeable.
 
Can anybody say something about the merits/disadvantages of soap v cream?

Been experimenting with creams but now with soaps too. I find the lather is not as thick as with a cream but it seems to work well,less nicks if anything! Soap appears to be more economical as it seems to last longer and is cheaper. 2 I've tried have been the humble Colonel Conk Amber-good smell and very effective and L'Occitane's Cade which also gives very good results. Maybe soap is better?
 
I dunno - I have used creame all my life but find I really enjoy using the soap now. My kids left some jell, as well, and they all work just fine. I do love the Cade, am running out, and am going to have to order some more very soon. I feel like I am getting a much closer shave with the DE and am quite pleased.
 
I like soaps and my tip for getting a nice thick lather is load the brush up like your trying to waste as much soap as you can. Take some time doing this. I scrub the heck out of the soap and really get a great lather. Btw my favorite cream is Proraso, and I get a great lather with it in seconds.

I've been getting about a week with the Derby blades. I forgot to change the blade one week and did go about 10 days but that was really too long. 7 days is even pushing it but I'm happy with the Derbies alot.
 
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